Chapter Text
They were curled together in their bed, Wei Wuxian resting his cheek on Lan Wangji’s shoulder, their legs tangled together under the heavy blankets when Wei Wuxian broke the sweet stillness of the air.
“Would you like to get married again?”
Lan Wangji let out a curious but passive sound, though his heartbeat quickened in his chest. Wei Wuxian prodded him in the ribs at the lack of response until Lan Wangji squirmed away when it tickled.
“Don’t make fun of me,” Wei Wuxian said, though there was a smile in his voice. “It’s just, the last wedding was for the sects and we didn’t really know one another. We should have a little wedding just for us, now that we really want to be husbands.”
He sat up suddenly, leaving Lan Wangji’s chest chilly in the wake of his warmth.
“Not that I’m presuming that you want to be my husband.”
Lan Wangji couldn’t stifle his smile, not in the soft firelight with Wei Wuxian’s skin pressed close.
“I am your husband.”
“But do you want to be?” Wei Wuxian asked timidly, like he might be rejected. “Again?”
“I’d marry you every day if you asked.”
Wei Wuxian let out an embarrassed squeak and buried his face back into Lan Wangji’s chest.
“Ah! What have I told you about saying such sweet things? How will you explain to Wen Qing that my heart gave out because you were too sweet, huh? Are you secretly working for the Sects? Trying to assassinate me like this?”
Lan Wangji soothed his hand over Wei Wuxian’s hair as he ranted, as in love as he’d ever been.
They didn’t really plan anything right away. Wei Wuxian was still busy trying to get the people who were once under Wen Ruohan to stop assuming that he would snap and become as deranged as Wen Ruohan had been, and trying to plant a lotus pond in the soil in the garden in the middle of the palace, both with little success.
Lan Wangji himself was torn. He hadn’t sent a letter to Xichen yet. At first it had been because he hadn’t known it was allowed and after it was because he was rebelling against the expectation that he was supposed to betray his husband. He trusted his brother, but what if he thought Lan Wangji’s relaying of how pleasant his husband was and how he enjoyed his life in Nightless City even as he missed home had a hidden meaning. What if he thought Lan Wangji’s letters were being monitored and tried to decipher a hidden meaning? What if he read Lan Wangji relaying Wei Wuxian’s kind heart and took it as a message that he was weak? Then it was because he didn’t know how. He knew since the betrothal, Xichen had been worrying himself sick over this marriage since they’d agreed to it. How could Lan Wangji relay that he was happy and safe and loved in the face of how many months of his brother worrying without a word.
“You know if you keep putting off sending a letter, he’s just going to keep worrying,” Wei Wuxian told him with a nudge to his side.
Lan Wangji knew, he did, but he still didn’t know how to reach out. He’d never been good at being the one to initiate.
The problem solved itself in the end.
It was the middle of the night, and Lan Wangji was on his way to the kitchen to find a snack for Wen Yuan. Lan Wangji wasn’t one to wake in the middle of the night, but his husband was a restless sleeper, and he had been viciously kicked in the side hard enough to jolt him from sleep into a sitting position. He had planned on settling back in and going back to sleep, but when he looked over, he nearly startled out of his skin to find Wen Yuan standing at the side of the bed staring sleepily at the two of them. He hadn’t said anything yet, he just stood there sucking on his two first fingers like he did when he was tired. .
He removed the fingers to say, “My belly’s grumbly,” before returning them and resuming his staring.
Since he was already awake, Lan Wangji decided to indulge him. He turned to tuck the blanket around Wei Wuxian once again, though he knew it wouldn’t stay, and left a kiss on his forehead before pulling on an extra layer and picking Wen Yuan up who lay a sleepy head on his shoulder.
“Are you hungry or do you not feel well?” Lan Wangji asked, not sure exactly what grumbly meant to Wen Yuan.
“Hungry,” Wen Yuan mumbled back.
The way to the kitchens was full of twists and turns, and around one corner, Lan Wangji was startled to turn and find a cloaked figure lurking in the shadows. They hadn’t noticed him, so he placed Wen Yuan down, tucked out of sight around the corner, cursing the fact that he had left his sword in his room. He still had his strength, though, so he used the surprise he had to pin the cloaked figure to the wall before they could even unsheath their own sword.
“What business do you have?” He demanded.
“Wangji?”
Lan Wangji released the figure as quickly as he’d struck, recognizing the voice.
“Xichen.”
Just as Xichen turned, Wen Yuan crashed into Lan Wangji’s knees, peering up at the intruder. Lan Wangji would have a talk to him later about how dangerous that would be if there was actual danger, but right now he was too shocked by his brother standing here in front of him.
Suddenly, Xichen rushed forward and pulled him close, gasping a sob into Lan Wangji’s ear.
“I’ve been so scared,” Xichen said, his arms a vice around him. “Jin Guangshan keeps muttering how you’ve likely been killed by now and I wasn’t sure a letter would get to you. I had to see for myself that you were still alive,” he pulled back to peer at Lan Wangji’s face, and Lan Wangji could see, even in the low light that he had lost weight. “You can come back. We’ll keep it a secret no one has to know. You don’t have to stay here.”
Lan Wangji opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Wen Yuan tugged on his sleeve.
“Gege, who is it?” He asked before returning his fingers to his mouth, his wide eyes trained on Xichen. “Ribbon,” he added, pointing to Xichen. “Like you.”
Xichen pulled back, his eyes trained to Wen Yuan.
“Wangji, what? Who is this?”
He must have been confused and a little terrified and slightly desperate, but he still smiled down at Wen Yuan who looked to Lan Wangji like he was asking for permission before looking back and smiling in return.
Lan Wangji wondered for a moment how to explain Wen Yuan. Wei Wuxian’s son but not quite. Lan Wangji’s son as well, but again not quite. With another tug to his sleeve, Lan Wangji picked Wen Yuan up who immediately returned his sleepy head to Lan Wangji’s shoulder.
“This is Wen Yuan,” he said simply. “He’s hungry so we’re on our way to the kitchens. Come with us.”
“Hungry,” Wen Yuan muttered in agreement.
Lan Wangji nodded to Xichen to walk with them.
“We’ll talk on the way.”
Lan Wangji realized that he was nervous. What if Xichen hated him for keeping him in the dark for so long to worry for him? Xichen had obviously been worried enough to abandon his duties and risk everything to come break him out, to risk the wrath of the sects and the Yiling Patriarch himself. What had Lan Wangji been doing? Playing with Wen Yuan and teasing Wei Wuxian and living a soft, happy life.
But Xichen deserved to know. To have his worries put to rest.
Xichen’s breath caught in his chest when Lan Wangji relayed that he was safe and daresay thriving, and he let out a sob when Lan Wangji muttered how kind and wonderful Wei Wuxian was.
“Oh Wangji,” Xichen breathed, wiping a tear with the back of his hand. “You love him, don’t you?”
In lieu of an answer, Lan Wangji just blurted, “Would you like to attend my wedding?”
Xichen just blinked at him, but he softened as Lan Wangji explained. They talked it over in the soft candlelight as Wen Yuan nibbled on a pork bun sleepily. He fell asleep halfway through eating, his head resting on Lan Wangji’s chest and the bun still resting on his bottom lip, so Lan Wangji took it from his slack fingers then used a rag to wipe his greasy face.
“I forgot how cute you are with kids,” Xichen muttered, his soft smile trained on where Lan Wangji was wiping Wen Yuan’s cheek.
Lan Wangji just nodded and pulled Wen Yuan further into his arms until he was once again resting on his shoulder, his little hands subconsciously clenching at Lan Wangji’s robes for a moment before they went slack with sleep.
Xichen then yawned so wide it looked almost painful, and then gave Lan Wangji a sleepy smile.
“Sorry, I haven’t slept well in the last several days.”
“I should go wake Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said softly so as not to disturb Wen Yuan. “He’ll find you a room to rest for the evening. We can talk more in the morning.”
They made their way back to his rooms, and Xichen stayed outside the door so Lan Wangji could fetch his husband, not wanting to catch him unawares at a stranger in their room.
He approached to find the blanket once again thrown off of Wei Wuxian and his husband’s face in his pillow, though his legs were still in his own spot. Lan Wangji placed Wen Yuan down opposite Wei Wuxian and tucked the blanked up to his chin before turning to his husband.
“Wei Ying,” he muttered, shaking his shoulder.
Wei Wuxian just mumbled something unintelligible and nuzzled his face into the pillow.
“Wei Ying, wake up.”
“Ah, Lan Zhan, I’m too sleepy. Just take what you need, don’t worry about waking me.”
Lan Wangji flushed but continued, “Wei Ying, wake up. It’s important.”
Wei Wuxian cracked an eye open, his face scrunched into a sleepy glare.
“You know not all of us wake up at dawn, right?”
“My brother is here,” Lan Wangji said, which did the job of making Wei Wuxian open both eyes and sit up.”
“Is something wrong?”
Lan Wangji wanted to kiss his sleepy mouth, but he decided it was probably better to stay on task, especially with Wen Yuan in their bed and his brother waiting in the dim hallway.
“He came to make sure I was alright,” he said. “We talked, but now he needs a place to sleep for the night. I wasn’t sure what rooms were available.”
Wei Wuxian gave an exaggerated shudder when he stepped onto the cold floor, so Lan Wangji wrapped his arm around him as they walked to the door.
Lan Wangji had left Xichen right at the doorway, but when they stepped into the hall, they found Wen Ning pinning Xichen to the wall with a hand to his throat.
“Who sent you?”
Wei Wuxian ducked from under Lan Wangji’s arm to pull Wen Ning off.
“Ah, Wen Ning, I appreciate you trying to keep me from being assassinated, but please release my brother-in-law before he decides to take back his blessing, please.”
Xichen’s wide, startled eyes darted from Wen Ning to Wei Wuxian and then to Lan Wangji as Wen Ning pulled back with wary eyes.
“Brother-in-law?” Wen Ning asked hesitantly before looking first to their intruder and then to LAn Wangji. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t know.”
He bowed to Xichen who waved him off with the hand not soothing over his throat.
“I do look quite suspicious, so I don’t blame you,” he said with a tired smile that he then turned to Wei Wuxian. “And you must be my brother’s husband. Nice to meet you officially.”
Wei Wuxian scuffed a shoe on the ground and tightened the light sleeping robe he was wearing so that it wasn’t slipping so much out of its ties.
“Haha, yes that’s me!” He said, a little too loudly. “The Yiling Patriarch himself at your service.”
He winced after he said it, so Lan Wangji took pity on him and stepped up.
“We can talk more in the morning,” he said. “It is very late.”
They got Xichen settled in an empty room near their own before returning. Wen Yuan was lying on Wei Wuxian’s pillow, so they snuggled close and shared Lan Wangji’s.
“Wow, does your brother hate me? He hates me, right?” Wei Wuxian whispered once they were settled.
Lan Wangji pressed a kiss to his lips and then settled in to nuzzle under his chin.
“I told him that you are everything I could have hoped for in a husband,” he said. “He’s happy for us.”
Wei Wuxian just buried his face in Lan Wangji’s hair.
“What have I told you about saying such sweet things?” He said sleepily. “Wen Ning apprehended the wrong brother it seems.”
He drifted somewhere in the middle of his sentence, his words slurring together until he was breathing soft breaths into Lan Wangji’s hair.
“Goodnight,” Lan Wangji muttered before he drifted off himself.
They decided to hold their little ceremony the next day so Xichen could be there.
During the tea ceremony, Xichen sat for Lan Wangji, while Wen Qing and Wen Ning sat for Wei Wuxian. Granny Wen refrained from either saying she couldn’t just choose one as her family. Wen Yuan had originally supposed to stay in granny’s lap, but he had become so enamored by Lan Xichen in the few short hours they’d known each other that he sat with him instead.
Lan Wangji wore his same borrowed wedding robes with the rabbit stitched into the sleeve and he did cry this time, though they were happy tears. His wet eyes met Wei Wuxian’s as they bowed, and he couldn’t help but smile, a look that was shared and expanded upon on Wei Wuxian’s face, who winked in such a way that Lan Wangji flushed pink. He heard Xichen huff a little delighted laugh that was echoed by Wen Yuan, and Lan Wangji’s heart was full.